Where the Heart Is
by muggleborn.dragon.ryder
Summary: Home is really where the heart is. Long one-shot.


**_Where the Heart Is _**

**A/N: This is my newest one-shot for RotG. It got a little out of hand, I felt, especially during the last couple scenes or so. And I think I meant it to be longer than this, but really, thank God it wasn't. I don't want it to be too long, and it probably is. And I think Jack might be OOC. But anyway, the main things I have to say are:**

**Sandy talks in italics in this fic, because he talks so much, I didn't feel like trying to figure out which images he might use, so he's using images, I promise, it's just not telling you what images he's using. And I don't think Bunny and North seemed very worried when Jack overheated, but I have the feeling it happened to them before, so they're not too concerned. And this is probably crappy. **

* * *

It was a nice night to be out.

Technically speaking, Sanderson Mansnoozie could work in all weathers, even rain, but he preferred clear nights, like these, when there was only the occasional, misty cloud scudding across the night sky, and the stars peeked out, casting little silvery light all over the world. Sandy surveyed the dream he'd given Cupcake Lesley, smiling a little to himself as he conjured up another Dreamsand cloud to float himself out the window. Who'd have guessed the tough fifth grader would love unicorns so much?

He was flying low, lower than usual, at least, just to peek in every window he passed to make sure he'd done his rounds thoroughly, and as he passed over a patch of wilderness, the treetops passing right through his Dreamsand cloud as if it were made of…well…_sand, _he spotted his fellow Guardian. Ah, Jack Frost. The little yellow man smiled to himself as he watched the boy fondly. He couldn't deny that he saw the winter spirit like a family member, even though he was fairly sure that if Jack ever shared the feeling, he'd probably figure into the equation as the crazy uncle.

He swooped down to say hello, noticing with a disapproving frown that Jack showed no signs of retiring into his home, despite the late hour; Sandy was never happy when the Guardians went nights without sleep, no matter how demanding their jobs were. But then, Jack didn't really seem to be working; he was just lounging back on his tree branch, balanced rather precariously above a frozen lake, staring up at the sky in contentment. If it had been anyone else, Sandy might have been worried for their safety, or guessed they were uncomfortable, but he'd watched the winter spirit balance on the very tip of his staff before. Jack's balance and comfort knew no bounds.

He waved, using images to conjure a quick hello, before making a face that was much more reminiscent of Tooth and adding, _You should be asleep._

"Oh, I'm going to sleep in a minute, I'm all settled and everything," Jack gestured to his person, sprawling comfortably on the thin limb, one hand clutching his staff like a security blanket. "I'll be fine, Sandy, you've got more rounds to make."

Sandy thought he recognized a polite dismissal in Jack's voice, but instead of leaving, as he knew he should have done, he was too busy making a startling connection. _You mean, you're going to go to sleep in that tree? _

Jack's ability to make himself comfortable really_ did_ know no bounds, Sandy decided.

"Well, yeah," the spirit shrugged. "It's more comfortable than sleeping on the lake, I think."

_Wait, wait, _Sandy held up his hands. _What about your bed? Why don't you sleep there? _

Jack stared at him in confusion, and their silence lasted so long that for a moment, Sandy thought the boy had misunderstood his images, and was actually hastening to recreate them when Jack spoke. "I don't have a bed, Sandy. Not if you're talking blanket-and-pillow."

Sandy nodded vigorously, but Jack just shook his head. "Nah, I don't have one of those. Branches work fine, anyway, they're just as comfortable."

_If not a bed, what sort of furniture do you have? _Sandy demanded, for, being the Guardian of Dreams, he was under the impression that, if you were to have a home, you may as well start with the bed.

"I…I don't have any furniture," Jack looked surprised as he replied, as if his words were shocking even himself.

They were certainly shocking Sandy. He lifted his golden gaze to the other spirit's blue one, asking yet another question. _Do you have a house at all? _

"No." Jack's grin had entirely vanished now, but he didn't appear upset in the slightest; he merely looked confused, as if he were only just now realizing these things himself.

At Sandy's horrified look and positive avalanche of images, however, Jack quickly hopped to his feet on his tree branch, holding out his hands, one still gripping his staff, in a placating gesture. "No, no! Sandy, I'm not homeless or anything! I've got my lake!"

_You live on a lake?! _

"What's the problem?"

And through it all, the worst part was, Jack was surprised. He honestly didn't know that every other spirit, every other legend out there had a house, maybe not a grand palace like Toothiana's or a bustling workshop like North's, but everyone else had a warm, dry place to sleep at night and somewhere to run whenever they needed to. Granted, maybe being a winter spirit meant that changes in the weather didn't bother him as much as it might most people, but still. Sandy was determined to make the boy understand the severity of his words.

When he tried to communicate his thoughts, however, Jack merely brushed him off. "Sandy, look, I'll be fine. It's not a big deal, honestly. I'm not _homeless_."

* * *

"Jack is homeless?!"

Sandy nodded in confirmation.

"Oh, the poor thing!" Tooth looked positively stricken to hear the words, fluttering around the room at high speed. "And he's been living that way for three hundred years, and to think, he never had anyone to call on, no one's home was ever open to him…"

"It is a little weird," Bunnymund said thoughtfully, his lips forming a small frown. Even though he was determined to remain the levelheaded one of the bunch, even he had to admit that this was bothering him a little. No wonder the kid was always complaining when it rained in Burgess. It's not like he could really get out of it, could he?

"But," he added, his voice a little stronger now as he talked, "but, I mean, if it was _botherin' _the kid, he'd have done something about it by now. He's not stupid, and he's not just going to sit around moaning about things. He would have built himself a home or something."

"He shouldn't have had to!" Tooth turned a fiery amethyst gaze to Bunnymund, her hands clenching into fists as she faced her fellow Guardian, her wings quivering behind her. "Do you know how…do you know how _insensitive_ you sound? Oh, he would have built himself a home, well _maybe he didn't know how_!"

As the two lapsed into an argument, North nodded at something only he could see, his eyes very far away. When he managed to focus on Sandy again – who would have been enjoying hearing Tooth yelling at Bunny if he hadn't been concerned for the winter spirit – he started speaking. "Well, clearly, there is only one thing to be doing."

Sandy looked up at him hopefully, and Bunny and Tooth glanced up from their argument.

"Jack will just have to move in with one of us."

* * *

Jack was the kind of person who let things go. If Bunny were to start making fun of him, he'd be laughing and palling around with the rabbit two minutes later. When Tooth looked at his teeth without permission, he didn't mind. Well, he _minded_, of course, because he really hated her fingers in his mouth, but he couldn't begrudge her this small pleasure, especially when it made her so happy.

All in all, Jack really was not the type to hold a grudge. Until now. Because now, he really, really _hated_ Sanderson Mansnoozie. One single night on a tree branch, and the older Guardian just had to blab. Well, not blab, really; he'd probably told them through his images, but in Jack's opinion, this was no better. He'd known it had to have been Sandy when North told Jack he had "surprise" for him, and led him down one of the corridors of the North Pole to reveal…a room.

A very plain room, white all around, a bed in the corner, a full-length mirror and a window, thrown wide to let the snow and sleet from outside in. Jack blinked in confusion, looking around at North. "Well, I'm very surprised. Who would have thought there was a room in the North Pole?"

"Can I smack him now?" Bunny muttered.

Tooth shushed him.

North cleared his throat significantly, pointing to the open door. In little blue letters, with a snowflake dangling from them, it read, "JACK'S ROOM".

Jack coughed, feeling a purple flush rising in his face, tainting his pale cheeks. "Uh, North, you really don't need to do this…"

"We wanted to, Jack," Tooth assured him, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. He could tell they wanted him to accept this gift, but truthfully, he was not going down this way. Three hundred years, living outside, out in the open, going wherever he pleased, and sure, maybe it had gotten lonely. Maybe he had wished for the cozy comfort of a fire-lit living room once or twice, but _he did not need this_. So, as North led him farther into the room, he tried to protest. He really did. But the man simply talked over him, telling him that the North Pole was the perfect place for him, in the midst of all the ice and snow and with enough rooms and games to occupy even him, and a library and—

"North," Jack interrupted in a steely voice, sitting down on the bed and crossing his arms. "Thank you, but I don't want this."

There was a silence, and Jack knew he'd offended them.

"Jack," North began gently, "I give you this room because it can be your home."

"I don't _want_ a home."

"You need one."

"Yeah, ya do, mate," Bunny chipped in. "Tooth's been runnin' herself ragged with worry over you ever since Sandy told us."

Jack shot a glare at the little yellow man, but the older Guardian didn't even look remotely abashed.

"I didn't mean for Sandy to take that and run with it! For Groundhog's sake, I didn't even realize it would worry you guys!"

"Sweet Tooth, you_ need_ this," Tooth insisted, putting her hand back on his shoulder. "I know it might seem like a pretty big jump now, going to having nothing to having a lot—

"I didn't have _nothing_! I had a lake that served me just fine." Jack could feel his voice rising in volume, and registered that, as his face grew hotter and hotter, the angrier he could feel himself getting. He either needed to take a breath and count to ten, or pursue this argument another day before he lowered the temperature any farther.

Sandy stepped forward with his own input. _How about this? You stay at the Pole for a week, and if by the end of the week, you're still not happy with the arrangement then we'll figure something else out. But we can't let you live outside anymore, Jack._

Jack wanted to protest, but, recognizing defeat in the way that everyone else seemed happy with the solution, he resigned himself to his fate, and threw himself backward on the – _wow, really soft_ – bed with as much drama as he possibly could.

* * *

It wasn't Jack who ended the arrangement. It was North.

At first, they really did seem to be getting along quite well – Jack was taking better care of himself under the watchful eye of North or the yetis, who appeared to be behaving on Tooth's orders. He was eating and sleeping regularly, at least – and the realization that he previously hadn't horrified the Guardians as well, but that's another story – and the North Pole was a good home for the boy. There were things to entertain him every hour of the day, and the other Guardians dropped by much more often than usual to check that Jack was settling into the rather crazy routine of the Pole.

But then the pranks started.

It was just a downside to living with Jack, North guessed, but all the same, it started out as amusing and steadily progressed to downright annoying. When he awoke in the mornings, his boots were always full of some substance – maple syrup, honey, at one point even raw cookie dough – or there was shaving cream on his face. Or the elves were all glued to the ceiling, the yetis frozen to the wall, the shampoo replaced with hair remover, the water pipes frozen…

As you can imagine, not only were the yetis growing grumpier by the day, but it was also having a profound effect on toy production. By the end of the week, North could ignore it no longer – Jack was absolutely determined not to live at the Pole, and he did not want to be on the receiving end of the winter spirit's wrath any longer. He ended the arrangement before Jack could, and that was that.

* * *

Tooth's motherly side won out over her own precautions to herself, and next it was she who took Jack in.

She was determined not to give up on him as North had – he was not a stray, or an unfeeling animal who didn't care where he went or who took him in. He needed love, for MiM's sake!

Her determination did not last very long. One minute, she was ordering the fairies on their rounds as usual, the next, all but four of them were gone, none of them returning from missions. Suddenly anxious that something might have happened to them, she zoomed through the different halls of the palace, calling their names, and…ahh. This explained why they were so distracted.

Jack stood in the midst of all the fairies, practically hidden from view by the tiny, feathery bodies, all prying open his mouth to look at his teeth, or ruffling his hair, playing in his hood, sitting in his open palm. He certainly wasn't discouraging them, either, loving the attention and giving it back to them tenfold.

Jack was holding up progress, and much as Tooth didn't want to admit it, maybe he'd be better off with Sandy.

* * *

Jack's stay with Sandy did not last long.

He and the little yellow man were still not on great terms, as Jack was busy nursing his huge grudge and Sandy never talked at all, so for a long while they remained in silence, Jack absolutely determined to sulk until Sandy got the hint, and Sandy focused on sending out his dreams.

But the longer Jack sat there, the more he realized, _hey, this cloud is really soft. You know, it is kind of late, even back home. Maybe I should just lie down for a quick… _

He was out like a light for five days.

* * *

Bunny was, to say the least, horrified.

He'd pleaded with the others to tell him it was all just a very bad joke, that they were just yanking his chain, but they didn't.

"We're Guardians, Bunny," Tooth had explained. "Jack's a child, and as such, it's our job to protect and look out for him. And, in this case, provide for him. I know you two have your differences, but surely, you can work things out?"

Bunny had wholeheartedly agreed with the others when they'd said Jack needed a home. But that didn't mean he wanted that home to be_ his_.

"We've tried him with everyone else," North had chipped in. "You are only hope."

And so, grudgingly and bitterly, Bunny had allowed Jack's care to pass into his paws.

So far, things had actually been going pretty smoothly, but Bunny was still holding his breath. Jack had been mostly quiet, sulking, the rabbit supposed, about the unfairness of having to live in a safe place. Oh, the horror.

But it had been _hours _and Jack hadn't come out of his "room", or even spoken a word to Bunnymund since the rabbit had shown it to him. At the time, the rabbit hadn't cared. He'd passed the time by painting eggs and coming up with new designs – you could never be too ready for Easter – but it wasn't good for the kid to stay shut up sulking. And North had said that Bunny was currently their only hope. So maybe he could try a little harder to make the kid feel welcome.

Reluctantly, he set down his brushes and paints, standing up and weaving his way neatly through the egg golems and vines, pushing some plants out of his way to reach the tunnel that counted as Jack's room. He was sure the kid had probably crawled out by now, gone off to explore the Warren and wreak as much havoc as he could, but it was better to start where the kid had been last.

To Bunny's surprise, Jack was still there, but he was curled in a ball now, his face hidden in his knees.

"Frostbite," Bunny gave a little sigh, walking over to the kid, "c'mon, get up. It's not gonna do us any good if you just lay here sulkin'. Why don't ya come out and—

"Bunny." The kid's voice stopped the rabbit in his tracks. Because Jack didn't talk; no, he _whimpered_.

"Mate?" Bunny's ears twitched in concern, kneeling down so he was eye level with the kid.

"Bunny, I don't feel so good," Jack's breathing sounded labored and pained, and he didn't look so good, either. His face was flushed and pink, his forehead glistening with sweat.

The rabbit bent down to examine the kid, wiping stray hairs off his sweaty forehead, and…_whoa_. Wait, back up? Since when did winter spirits seem to spill heat? His skin was hotter than it should have been – he was about the average temperature for a human being, but when Jack started running in even the sixties or seventies, that was _bad_.

In retrospect, Bunny saw he had been stupid not to anticipate this. The temperature normally ran in the seventies and eighties in the Warren, and while that temperature was perfectly comfortable for him, he hadn't even thought to consider how the second inhabitant would feel, especially considering his low body temperatures. In Bunny's opinion, there was only one thing to do: drop this kid off at the Pole, bury him in a snowdrift, and tell North not to ever include him in their concerns for Jack again.

He picked Jack slowly up in his furry arms, trying not to jolt the boy too much. The kid's blue eyes fluttered open in surprise, and he pushed against the arms encircling him. "What are you doing?"

"Hang on, Frostbite," Bunny instructed. "I'm takin' you back to North, alright?"

"North can't stand me, either," Jack muttered bitterly. "Why don't you just dump me by my lake, where I'll be fine? I haven't even seen it in ages."

Bunny ignored him, racing off as fast as he could through the tunnels, and Jack remained silent for the rest of the trip, so Bunny assumed he was too sick to continue arguing.

Yetis were immediately upon them when they entered the workshop, and looking down, Bunny could see why. The winter spirit had passed out on their journey, and there was no way the kid would willingly have let Bunnymund carry him anywhere, unless he was dead. Actually, probably not even then.

Bunny located North, and explaining the situation spiraled into an argument that ended in North storming off to order some yetis to look after Jack until he was calm again. But as the man started stomping away, Bunny took off after him, keeping pace with him easily and grabbing his shoulder. "Mate, look at me."

To his credit, North didn't try to walk away again; he lifted weary blue eyes to meet the rabbit's green and more sighed than said the words, "What is it, Bunny?"

"I've got an idea. I think I know what we should do about the kid."

"Jack?" North frowned. "Is very clear what we do to him. Have yetis bring him snow to cool him down, no?"

"No, that's not what I meant. I know what we need to do about his home."

* * *

Jack awoke to North, gazing absently at the walls, the ceiling, and occasionally even out the window. He couldn't figure out why North was there around the pounding headache, but he sat up, dislodging the snow that somebody appeared to have buried him in while he slept. "What…what happened?" His voice came out a weak croak.

North noticed him at last – not that he was known for his observation skills – and his face broke out into a huge smile. "Jack! Is good to see you awake again, my boy!"

"What happened?" Jack repeated, wincing a little at the loudness of North's booming voice.

"You overheated," North replied simply. "In the Warren. You have been ill for past four days, but snow helped."

Jack glanced down at the snow, melting slowly now that it was no longer in contact with his skin, trying to make sense of everything. Four days – that meant he was behind on work, and there were some states that were in serious need of winter cheer. Jack put a hand to his forehead, feeling strands of white hair falling across his fingers.

He raised his head to ask North more questions, only to find the man had left the room while he was distracted. Well, fine, then, at least they couldn't stop him from doing exactly as he wanted now and going to his lake. He reached for his staff where it leaned against the wall beside the bed, but before he could do much more than grasp his fingers around it, the door flew open again, and North returned, leading the other three Guardians as well.

"Jack!" The fairy spoke first, fluttering forward to wrap him in a tight, feathery hug. He hesitated, unsure of hugging protocol, eventually settling for just patting her shoulder consolingly. "We were so worried," she added as she pulled away, holding him at arm's length to study his face.

Sandy smiled at Jack comfortably, clearly still at peace with the boy, despite the fact that Jack had spent most of his time in the Sandman's presence sulking for the past few weeks. He decided to smile back, but he wasn't so sure Sandy saw it, because North walked forward then, positively beaming now. "Now, Jack – we have surprise for you! Come along!"

"North…" Jack started to protest, as the older Guardian started dragging him along. Last time North had had a "surprise" for him, he hadn't liked it one bit. "Can you tell me what it is before you show it to me? Please?"

North laughed. "That would spoil surprise! Everyone – to the sleigh, come along, now!"

Sandy fell in step beside them, patting Jack reassuringly on the elbow.

Tooth put her hand on his shoulder. "You're going to like this surprise, Sweet Tooth."

* * *

"Surprise!"

Strong hands found Jack's shoulders, spinning him around so roughly and suddenly that he felt dizzy. When his eyes refocused, he saw his frozen lake again, half-buried in snow, just the way he liked it. Did this mean they were finally giving up their stupid claims that he needed somebody to live with, somebody to look after him?

It took Jack a second for him to notice a large block of ice, resting a little precariously in the branches of his favorite tree – a huge block of ice, really, big enough for him to crawl into and live if he could…

"Come, come! Up!" North ushered Jack up into the tree, attempted to climb up himself, and promptly failed, for he couldn't get his leg very high. Sandy floated up with him instead, eager to see his reaction. The other three crowded on the ground as Jack spotted an opening in the ice block and hauled himself up into it, coming to a complete stop when he reached the interior.

It was a house. An ice house, to be exact, the furniture cushioned with red plush pillows to make everything more comfortable. Jack recognized the pillows as decorations from some of the sofas in North's workshop. Edging farther into the little house, he saw that they had even split the block up into rooms, so there was a bedroom, a kitchen – complete with a little shelf to keep food frozen, which was cute but useless, as Jack could do this himself – and a bed, a little bag of golden Dreamsand upon the thick blankets and pillows they'd furnished it with.

As if in a trance, Jack slowly knelt down, picking up the blankets, holding them between his forefinger and thumb, his eyes moving onto the pillows and bag of Dreamsand, then onto the next room, the kitchen. He stood and went back there, looking at the shelf for frozen foods, and the countertops they'd designed, doing everything they could to make the home…well, _homey_.

It was perfect. Jack knew that from the instant he'd entered the opening and realized their intention, yet now he knew it was really perfect, because every little detail, even the snowflakes carved so painstakingly into the walls, showed how much they'd cared, how much thought had gone into the making of this home.

Sandy raised his golden eyes to meet Jack's hopefully. _Do you like it? _

"I love it," Jack replied, and he meant every word.


End file.
